ssbmw

Atta, I think you'll be disappointed of the performance of the 8 series after the M3... they're a bit of a boat really. 7.4 seconds to 100 as opposed to the 6.2 of the M3.

Sounds like it has a few issues too. Are you prepared for a lemon 840?... they empty bank accounts faster than a gold-digging trophy wife!

To be honest mate, they aren't too bad in manual - they are far more fun than the autos. They don't have the extra grunt nor chuckability or have the tactility with the steering of a M3, but they are OK. You don't feel any bumps, the car is extremely comfortable and smooth and a lot more refined. Additionally, they look great. Apart from a similarity to the E26 M1's nose cone, the E31 looks very unique and still looks modern even if the first one left the production line in 89'.

You'd just need to check this thing out to see if it warrants the investment to get it right...

the non standard flywheel fitted doesn't work . engine has a miss

the guy only half finished the conversion , when it got repo'd , previous owner owed money on it .

If one had the skills and could source the parts, one probably wouldn't have to spend over $5k though right?

Outlay may be around $11-$12k all up, and you have a pretty cool, stealth E31. Maybe a bush-pig when you ever come to sell it, but then again, a fun project and who cares at that type of price?

A genuine NZ new 840 in manual with that type of mileage is probably going to still cost high teens or $20k.

Ahh crap was seriously considering it

I had a feeling a stock manual was a bit "too good to be true".

Dude you are right, they are rare in manual. All up 57 were evidently manual in RHD in the 840i /840ci (out of approx. 1,000). Rare car if it was legit. This car sounds like a orphan. But for that price however, who cares!

Ahh crap was seriously considering it

I had a feeling a stock manual was a bit "too good to be true".

Do normal M635csi's not have the swingometer?

note schnitzer gauge panel compared to this: http://www.bcspears.com/images/M6_474_Int_Speedo.jpg

edit: and the redline

Hi there, well this Schnitzer example has an economy guage (which you see on the 635csi) and where is the ///M logo on the dials like on the example you have showed? Unlike later ///M cars, and even its sister car from the same era the E28 M5 , the E24 M635csi had very few visible signs internally to display its special status as a ///m car. The only place where you see the ///m was on the dials. Even the gearknob showed only the gear- pattern, no ///m or /// tri-colour. Very subtle stuff.

I am certainly this is a ///m six though; I think I recall checking the VIN details, and from memory it is a Euro LHD M635csi so puts out the standard horse-power.Or it maybe a Japanese market m635csi ordered with left hand drive (a highly prevalant practice for the Japs during the 80's - ordering a car in LHD - it apparently provided extra kudos for the owner). I can't remember, but it was the real thing.

One thing I like about this example is that it has the ///M technic body-kit - very rare and I believe it modernises the look.

It just seems odd about the dials - why would someone replace it with a 635csi one?

So general consensus is that this is cool? The missus is dead keen on it, we are looking at Z4’s, has anyone had a close look at it?

IMO - seriously cool - the colour kind revokes the hairdresser image these thing have... sort of gives it a 'urban commando' look.

Manual has got to give it some extra resale value by the rarity thing ; on the flipside - the urban commando green is not for everyone...

I think these e24 635csis / m6s are much like the 8 series in that they are rare and special but oddly you never have to look far to see one for sale. Why?

Hey mate, interesting point. I have been a hard-core E24 enthusiast for the last 23 years and have owned one of the better 635csi's in NZ (a burgundy 1989 Highline) and number 312 /524 - a Polaris silver M635csi that was my pride and joy until I sold it in late 2007. I now own a manual 4.4 840ci E31, but the E24's are still the ones I love.

The 635csi's are indeed quite common, as they were one of the most commercially successful coupes for BMW. However, in reality, very few genuine NZ new M6's pop up for sale (as there were only approximately 20 delivered here out of the 524 made RHD).

There are now around 30 in the country including the UK and ex-Japan imports. I reckon however, on average only one or 2 NZ new examples pop up for sale every year. Generally speaking, unless they are marketed expensively, they move pretty quickly (around low $30's). These days they are still a niche' car- people like the idea of having one, but there seems to be very few actually buying them unless they are a NZ new car with great history.

The ones that seem to linger around on trademe tend to be the imported ones, and that is why there always seems to be one for sale.

The Schnitzer car looks great. I saw it when it came from Japan a few years ago and it looked a little rough. It has the rare M-technic body kit and has been lowered. Something very odd though, it doesn't have ///m dials on the dash. Yet it is definitely a M6. I am near certain the 'Scnitzering' is purely cosmetics. Regards.

Why would you buy an M car and not thrash the granny out of it?

If 20k engine rebuild put you off buying one then should really rather look at a different forum. Toyspeed.org.nz maybe? LOL

Seriously tho the M engines are very close to what you can call a bulletproof especially early 90s ones with single vanos. As long as you respect the car and give its deserved services and not cut corners by letting some backyard mechenics do the work on them cause they are cheap.

These are truely underated ex supercars, very affordable too.

Absolutely. They are rare too. Only 524 made in RHD. Unlike other later mass produced ///M cars, there is the rarity factor. In NZ too, there are only around 15-16 cars, including the 4 NZ deliveries.

15k is insane for a M5- only 4-5 years ago they were a $30k car.

If they had around 100kms on the clock, maybe they would command 20-25k, but try finding one. They are such a practical, everyday car type of car that nearly all of them have 150kms + on the clock. My old E24 m6 had a clutch twice as heavy as a E34 M5. Not much fun driving in heavy traffic in Auckland, where as a E34 M5 is a breeze.

This car was listed 3 months ago for 20,000 and obviously didnt sell must be a lemon or the guy is desperate as...

BTW I was told Quote "that car is only worth $8000 max and it's a made up M5 as well."

Tread Carefully...

Hi there,

I am near 100% certain that this car is an ex- Singaporean E34 M5 that landed here circa 2001 and was marketed at Cherry Lane in Glenfield around that time for around $32k. It popped up for sale again around 2 years ago in Invercargill, then Global Prestige in Parnell, Auckland had it for sale for low 20's and it has now resurfaced for sale in Christchurch. I have driven it - not a bad car actually. When it was for sale in Parnell it was looking very tidy too. Had an after-market exhaust but was pretty much original.

There are at least 2 E34 'M5's in NZ that are not genuine cars (520i shells with M5 running gear and engine) but I am certain that if this is the same car that I am thinking of, it is the real deal.

Overall, I undertand that these things have pretty solid engines if they have been serviced and maintained. One of my best friends has a 90 E34 M5 with 200,000 kms on the clock and it is very tight and runs like new.

Saying that, another friend of mine in Melbourne was tracking his 260,000 km E34 M5 a year ago and blew his engine and had to face a $20k re-build. I think if you treat them well, they are quite reliable. The S38 has a duplex timing chain too unlike its predecessor which was one of the problems with the E28 / E24's M88/3 .

This will be another one to discuss then too

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.as...998&ed=true

Hey there Glenn,

This is Ross's friend Sanjay. What a wonderful car! I have a question for you - I notice it has style 5 wheels - do you know whether it arrived like that ex-factory? From what I know, I thought the 850csi's were all delivered with Throwing stars originally seen on the E34 M5.

Irrespective, it looks great with the style 5's (I have them on my 840 ci sport). Good luck with the sale. They are define a special part of BMW's history - the 'almost' ///M8.

Regards.

have you tried the dealer?.Ebay or similar(esp german) may be your only other choice.

Hey there,

Thanks for that. Actually I did, and apparently the part is not available ( I asked my mate Ross Lamb who runs Botany BM Workshop in Auckland and he said BMW NZ cannot get the part).

I will try Ebay Germany though. Thanks.

Hi there,

I have a E31 8 series and was hoping someone maybe able to help me with a problem. The car originally had a BMW GSM car phone. However, that got discarded by the previous owner. I have now managed to track down a phone, but I need a cradle specific to a 8 series (it sits right behind the gear shift).

The cradle that fits the E39 and E38 had leather armrests that fit on either side of the phone cradle (different to the E31).

I know this is a wild-card as I doubt many arrived in E31's in this country. Any help would be welcomed.

This forum isnt getting PC, were just getting more than a little fed up with people banging on about the same old crap.

Paul has a point Jeremy, your the first person to comment on anything you think is overpriced and the last person to accept it when its pointed out to you.

Your opinion is its overpriced, Pauls opinion is that your always moaning. So take it on the chin and move on.

If the place is so boring why dont you go find somewhere else to play ?

Being a E31 fan and owning a Hell red 98 4.4 840ci sport in manual, I love this car. I think it embodies everything that it is; the super coupe that BMW needed to take on other marques in terms of performance and looks during the 90's whn the 850i did not quite have the performance. Realistically maybe it should be priced at $115k when you compare the prices of some other 'super cars' from its era like Astons, Porsches, and Ferraris. However, it is a BMW and they depreciate so much quicker, and I believe people in this country simply do not understand nor appreciate this car for what it is.

It suits a collector who wants to add to their BMW collection. However, how many people do we have like that in NZ prepared to pay premium?

In this economic climate I actually think it would be priced in the right zone around the $70 mark. Once cannot make comparisons to the US and UK markets to determine a price for the NZ market. Even though there are less special cars like this in NZ, we have less people and a cheap car market. When a Ferrari 360 goes for auction for at $105k recently it clearly puts things in perspective.

I like the car; it is fabulous - I had until a year ago a E24 M6 and a 850csi would have ben the logical progression (but I cannot afford one). I do belive though, that if the owner is keen on that type of cash he needs to somehow look to market this car overseas like Australia or even the UK. Otherwise he may have to wait awhile.

BM Workshop Botany - Owned by Ross Lamb who was the ex Manager at BM Workshop Grey Lynn. Great mechanic and great guy. Has a great team working for him too. Has been working on my cars for nearly 10 years. Very knowledgeable.

(09) 271 6636

i think the price is about right

E34 M5's are going for 25k+ & the E28 is rarer & just that little bit cooler (IMO)

is it true theres only 2 in NZ?

No, that is actually in-correct. From what I know there is a white 87' in Auckland, a champagne or Bronzit one in the Wairarapa, and 2 dark coloured ones in Christchurch. So there are atleast 5. The white one is a minter.

Until recently i had a M6. The first owner of my car owned the champagne M5 at the same time. The white M5 in Auckland was owned by a gentleman who concurrently owned a red M6.

This one for sale is actually a minter- it is Sth african but imported via Japan. As a consequence, it has the body-kit, a la E28 m535i.

They are such a niche car- go great, but the styling isn't for everybody/

Its a m6 i rang the guy and he can prove it

Yeah it is, UK import, number 239. I have a register of the M6's in NZ, and his is perfectly original, bar the side skirts.

You are probably right on the M5, mileage conversion equates.

Yes, purchased it from him. He spent a bit on it after he got it because the head gasket went, he gave up and purchased an E39 540i.(lucky you didn't buy it, what price back then?)

I have spent a small fortune on it fixing neglected/postponed issues, but it is going o.k. at the moment.

People don't fix things as they arise, in the end you have 20 issues, rolling road tuned now,very strong mid punch- i mean really enhances the engine strength, which is mid torque.

I have always liked the E34 since my first in the late 80's, a classic shape without stupid FASHION ideas! All the body creases are in the same place as an E30.

I was looking at it when it was advertised privately for $17k in early 2003. It was owned by a North Shore family who sold it to buy a e39 540 motorsport. The water pump went on the 535is as soon as Craig bought it and then I believe the gasket went. I bought my Sth African 535is a month later for $12k (with 185kms). I sold that 6 months later to get my dream car - the M635csi (in my sad-arse world, a beautiful car). I am partial to the E24's and E34's in particualr. One of my best friends has a minter white e34 m5 in white -stunning! I agree with you the e34 has a very proportionate shape.

Your car was a stunner when Craig had it too, and he didn't even wash it that much!

Don't think so, the other one was listed with 165,000km????

Sorry, what I meant was 105 k miles equates to 166kms.....!

Don't think so, the other one was listed with 165,000km????

You could be right, but I do think it is rather odd that 105kms or whatever it has advertised equates to around 166kms.

It will be interesting to find out as the cars are identical in appearance.

By the way, was you 535is once owned by Craig Ross? I was going to buy it once, but he got in there first. At the time I ended up getting a Sth African spec 535is, similar to Brent has.

Your car is very tidy.

I suspect is is the same one that has been lurking around on trademe and classic car for the last few months for around $24k. It was the same colour and interior and in Chch. Maybe that the owner has sold it to a dealer or the dealer is selling it on consigment.

Great looking car. There are one or 2 red ones that live in Auckland. Superb.

Can't understand why the E28 hasn't moved. What he is asking is on the money internationally. Darn rare. The car was owned by a fastidious guy before the current owner, and he spent a fortune on it. The current owner has not really driven it and spent $8k on a total suspension re-haul.

Maybe it is the background - ex Sth Africa via Japan?

A decent e28 M is often twice (and sometimes 3 X ) the value of an E34 M5 in the UK

He seems pretty weird. He has cut and pasted elements of the advert that Global Prestige ran with their ex-Singapore black M5 they sold in November. Their advert stated that 524 rhd E34 M5 were made. He has copied this in his ad and when queried about this figure being RHD cars not LHD, he denies it, saying that it applies to LHD. More than 1 person has queried this, and he gets annoyed. Strange.

Why doesn't he come out with a buy now?

BTW - in terms of marketability of LHD drive M5's - I guess only in Europe...and they are darn cheap over there...

Hi there,

Am a newbie to the forum, but a huge E24 fan, having owned a few and until recently owned a minter m635csi, commonly called a M6. The car on trademe is a genuine M635csi, number 239 of 524 rhd.

There are approximately 24 in NZ, and they have the M88/3 engine that was adapted from the BMW M1 twin cam, 24 valve engine.

They are very different cars to the standard 635csi!